Michigan

Buckle your seatbelts

If you don't care much for news about cars and trucks, it's time to take that long-awaited vacation to, say, Outer Mongolia. Starting Sunday, it will be hard to escape hearing, seeing or reading about the annual North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Media previews for the show start Sunday morning at Cobo Center in Detroit and run through Tuesday. The show opens to the public on Jan. 19 and runs through Jan. 27.

It's a time of anticipation and dread for the 6,000 journalists from around the world who will descend on Cobo for the media previews. There's lots of glitz and glitter, including attractive male and female "product information specialists" at the show. But it's a daunting task to take it all in. There are 37 scheduled press conferences where automakers will unveil more than 50 new production and concept vehicles. Plus, journalists must attend dozens of cocktail receptions and dinners put on by the auto companies. It's a dirty job, but we've got to do it.